The Chamonix Summer Writing Programs (in
coordination with Butler University) will feature both high altitudes and high
levels of literature. Featured instructors for the June program include fiction
author Anne Korkeakivi, memoir writer Cheryl Strand, and many others.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Writer
Abroad joined a new writing group. It’s a very organized, well-run group that
includes writers of all ages and levels—and the best part is that Writer Abroad
doesn't have to organize it. Unlike the Zurich Writers Workshop, which
she co-founded since there was no other organization for English-language
writers in Zurich, this group has already been in existence for many years. It
meets every other week at the local library where writers of all ages read and
critique each other’s work. Like all things American that she’s joined lately,
Writer Abroad is the newbie.

As more of
an outsider than most, one thing has struck Writer Abroad about the critiques
in her new group: They are really, really nice.

“I loved
this piece.” That’s how most people start and end their critiques.

In her time
abroad working with mainly German and Swiss nationalities, she became, well,
able to give and accept more direct negative feedback. This is not natural for
an American, but it becomes that way once you’ve been in another culture for several years.

When it
comes to her new American writing group, Writer Abroad doesn’t want to be the
strange European-influenced critic. She remembers all to well her first days in
Switzerland working with Swiss and Germans who had no shame in giving her direct
negative feedback, which, at the time, felt like a slap in the face.

Luckily, critiquing
like an American is one part of returning home that’s been pretty easy to
acclimate to. So if you come by her new writing group sometime, you’ll probably
see Writer Abroad wearing big white gym shoes and saying things like “I loved
this piece” whether she loved it or not.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Writer
Abroad is working on a travel book about Switzerland and it often makes her
wonder—is writing this making her attempt at repatriation easier or harder? On
one hand, it is therapeutic to write about the country she spent the
last eight years living in. It keeps her connection to the country strong and
will help maintain the author platform she built there. But on the other hand,
it’s terrible to write about hiking around the longest glacier in Europe and be
stuck in the flat American Midwest where no one hikes, let alone walks.

Missing the old country these days…especially in spin class.

Writing this book is actually giving her strange side effects. She is physically aching for the great outdoors. And she didn't know it was possible to actually do that. It was especially acute this morning, when she went from writing about snowshoeing in the Alps to an indoor spin class--where riding up a hill involved a small click to the right of the bike's tension knob, instead of the winding castle-topped hill she used to ride up every week when she lived in Baden.

In any case,
this travel book (one of four book projects at the moment—yes, Writer Abroad is
crazy) is a kind of love letter to Switzerland since it includes over 100
things to do and places to go that Writer Abroad experienced as extraordinarily
beautiful—or just very typically Swiss—during her many years wandering around
with her GA, or country-wide train pass. It’s a book she hopes will inspire
others who are in the country for a few days—years—or even a lifetime—to see
Switzerland in new ways. She's learning to, without even being there.

If you're a re-pat, does it help you to write about your "old" country?

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Writer
Abroad is reading a great new book called, The
Art of Slow Writing, by Louise DeSalvo. But to be honest, Writer Abroad is
surprised she likes it.

This is
because Writer Abroad finds a lot of books about writing tiring or a waste of
time. Why? Because reading them takes away time from writing. In her
experience, a lot of people spend more time talking about what they do than they
do actually doing it. Writers are no exception. That’s why if Writer Abroad is
going to read, which she does consider part of her job, she wants to read books
in the genre and/or on the topic she is currently writing about—these typically
provide more inspiration to her than a book about writing.

Writer
Abroad’s passion for doing rather than talking about doing stems from her days
as an advertising copywriter when her colleagues spent most of the day playing
ping pong and talking about advertising—instead of creating the actual
television commercial or print ad. And then they’d start working at 6 p.m. when
Writer Abroad was ready to go home. It drove her nuts, mainly because she was
seen as non-productive if she left at 6 p.m., despite having worked at least
eight hours more than many of her colleagues at that point.

Now that she
has more control over her time and is beginning 2015 by finally becoming a
full-time freelancer, she vows not to waste a minute of her work time. Luckily,
The Art of Slow Writing doesn’t waste
her time. Each chapter takes only a couple minutes to read and gives a lot of
good information in that space.

So far,
highlights of the book include a discussion of the process journal, which is a
journal writers keep to track what we accomplish and how we accomplish
it—and our feelings about everything. A process journal is an ongoing
conversation with ourselves about our work. By reading past process journals we
can understand how we felt during different points in our projects—and remember
that our current feelings are normal. Writer Abroad is now inspired to begin a
process journal.

In the book
there is also a discussion of the importance of another kind of journal, called
a “notebook” by Joan Didion, where the writer writes down “how it felt to be me”
at a particular time. This kind of journal helps us remember who we used to be,
and we can later draw on it for essays, memoir, or even for a character in a
novel. Writer Abroad doesn’t usually keep a notebook, but she is now convinced
she should, especially when she reads over the notebook she did keep, which was
during her daughter’s first year. She can see now that it is hard to remember
who she was as a new mother emotionally, even if she can remember specific
incidents—like wishing she were a man during that time since they had it so
much easier!Another
chapter in Slow Writing talks about
taking time off, which is also important for creativity. Time away from work is
so important for everyone, and yet Americans don’t seem to understand it—or if
they do, they aren’t given the proper amount of time off to truly relax.Instead, their “time away” is ping pong at
the office (or worse, “pajama day at the office”). But sorry, anything at the
office isn’t a vacation no matter how much fun it supposedly creates. After living
for almost a decade in Europe, Writer Abroad vows to continue taking at least a
month of time off each year. The difference it makes in her work is real.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Writer
Abroad would like to take a moment to celebrate 2014. It was a big year in many
ways. She published her first book, which has sold almost 1200 copies since
May. She secured a distribution deal with one of the publishers that
originally rejected the manuscript. She wrote for several new publications,
including Brian Child, CNN Travel, and Fodor’s. And oh yeah, she changed continents. At least for the time being.

In any
case, 2014 taught Writer Abroad a lot. Mainly, that success as a writer is up
to you. You can wait for others to decide to offer you something. Or you can create your own luck in 2015 and make your dreams come true yourself.

For Writer Abroad, it took ten years of
writing, ten years of making contacts, ten years of learning about promotion
and advertising, and ten years of learning about the publishing industry before
she felt ready for Book Number One. And that’s the other lesson: in a world
where publishing is more accessible than ever, patience is key. Publishing when
you’re not ready can do more harm than good. But if you are ready, Writer
Abroad says this: 2015 is waiting for you to take success into your own hands. Won’t
you join her in pursuing it?

Friday, December 12, 2014

Finally, a gift guide that includes
new books written by expats (or former expats). Below is a
short list of books published within the last year by writers who
have previously been featured on this website. The list is organized by the
country the writers used to live in (or still currently live in).

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Here’s where Writer Abroad has been finding
information and inspiration over

the last couple weeks:

Beautiful
essay by Jennifer
Berney in Literary Mama about moving in an attempt to find the right place. Writer Abroad recently moved as well, and can relate to
the essay’s non-conclusion. Is there ever a location that’s perfect? What do you
think?

A new book,
Windows
on the World, by Matteo Pericoli, features the views of fifty writers around
the world along with short essays about what the writer sees. Would make a
great Christmas gift.

Feeling
nostalgic about her former adopted country, Writer Abroad couldn’t help but
fall in love with the photography
of Ursula Sprecher and Andi Cortellini, who captured Swiss social clubs in
all of their glory. From the Pigeon Fanciers’ Club to the Knitting Club, these
photographs tell one of the best stories of the Swiss people Writer Abroad has
seen for a long time. She wonders what an American version would look like.

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About Me

I’m an American writer who moved to Switzerland in 2006 and am now back in the US for two years to determine if I can live anywhere else after being in a country filled with cheese, chocolate, and people who can pronounce my name. The author of Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I'd Known www.swisslifebook.com, I have written for a variety of clients and publications on two continents.
Visit: www.chantalpanozzo.com

Copyright 2009 Chantal Panozzo. All content is sole property of the author and may not be reproduced in any form without permission. (But linking is welcome). Please contact the author for syndication or reprint inquiries.